Congratulations to all of our volunteers, donors and supporters on helping us get another family housed!

In April this amazing single mom and her wonderful teenage daughter will be getting into their own house! The family was with the program for a little more than 3 months and had quite a bit of difficulty finding something that would work for them! Family Promise was able to provide their new landlord with first and last month's rent, and security deposit for the family due to the overwhelming generosity of our community in support of our programs! Now the family can keep the money they have saved while in the program and continue to work toward long-term stability!

Rising from the Ashes!

A story from Family Promise National

Given a hypothetical situation, people may speculate about what treasured personal items they’d save from a burning building, but Maya and her family didn’t have the luxury of making those choices when a devastating fire destroyed their home. The only possessions spared were items they’d left in their car when they came to Family Promise of Greater Roanoke, Virginia.

“Maya was one of the most dedicated parents we’ve seen,” says Aaron Dowdy, Housing Stability Manager. “Though she was still dealing with the trauma of the fire when we met her, she was resolved to move her family forward.”

In addition to handling the stress of the disaster, Maya had to determine her family’s future. As an independent massage therapist, she couldn’t work without her equipment.

Because meals and shelter weren’t a concern as part of Family Promise’s rotational program, Maya could focus on rebuilding her family’s world with guidance from her case manager. Family Promise connected them to a local agency that provides clothing to those in need. Through Family Promise’s workforce development program, Maya created a new resumé and eventually found work with a local chiropractor.

Once Maya was employed, Family Promise worked with Rapid Re-housing, an intervention service that returns those experiencing homelessness to permanent housing, to find her family a new home. The service covered the security deposit and first month’s rent to give the family a head-start on their new life. Family Promise’s financial literacy program, New Beginnings, enabled her to create budgeting, savings, and spending strategies to use moving forward.

Maya so successfully implemented the strategies she learned, Family Promise selected her for further financial planning coursework that the Affiliate hosts with a professional financial expert. Through this program, a local bank matched the family’s savings in predetermined incremental amounts, and by the time Maya completed the nine-week course, she had saved more than $5,000.

Once Maya had money to put toward a new home, the family’s path to independence skyrocketed. She started her own business – a café and yoga studio – where her mother helps with the cooking. Her son is thriving in school. Family Promise wrote a reference letter for Maya to enroll in a master’s degree program in nutrition, which she just completed, and she now offers weekly nutrition workshops to in-program and Family Promise graduate families as a way to help those in a position she once experienced.

Family Promise played such a valuable role at a critical time in her life that Maya feels compelled to give back in other ways, as well. She has served on the Affiliate’s board of trustees, babysits children in the program while their parents attend financial literacy, parenting, and health and wellness classes, and has mentored another Family Promise family.

Maya is grateful for the services Family Promise provided her beyond the critical shelter she was seeking when she arrived. “They continue to help you after you find a home,” she says. “Even after you find a job. I don’t know of any other place that does that.”

Current Needs

The Day Center and our families are currently in need of:

shampoo and conditioner, large bottles please

cold medicines, child and adult

feminine hygiene products

deodorant, men and women

toilet paper and paper towels

laundry soap and fabric softener

FPSSC Stats

2018

58 families served: 104 children and 168 people total

Access Point - 15 families: 28 children and 41 people total

Emergency Shelter - 23 families: 36 children and 65 people total

Bridge Housing - 14 families: 21 children and 37 people total

Open Door - 6 families: 19 children and 25 people total

Dates to Remember

United Way of South Sarasota County 13th Annual Community Walk: 4-6-2019 at Island Walk Event Center, West Villages, 13605 Tantino Blvd, Venice. Registration 9 am and Walk and Health Fair 10-11:30 am. Awards, pictures and food 11-12 pm. Call the United Way SSC office for more information 941-484-4811. Walkers can join the Family Promise SSC Walk team and half of the funds they raise will go to FPSSC.

Volunteer Training: 4-9-2019 at the Day Center, 4-5:30 PM - This training is for anyone who wants to volunteer with their congregation doing meals, hosting and overnights. All volunteers must go through training. Please RSVP to Allisa at aoleary@familypromisessc.org to ensure adequate space is available.

*SAVE THE DATE* Home Sweet Home Picnic - Volunteer Appreciation Event: 5-19-2019, 12 Noon - 2 pm. Invitations will be sent out soon to Coordinators. All volunteers who will be attending must RSVP. Instructions will be sent out to coordinators with the invitation. This picnic is our way of saying thank you to all our wonderful volunteers!
And some of our past families will be joining us that day to help us say thank you.

From the Director

Thank you for all you do and bless you all!

Jennifer Fagenbaum, Executive Director

jenniferfagenbaum@familypromisessc.org

941-497-9881 ext. 106

VOLUNTEER

If you would like to become part of the family, please visit our website to send us your information and we will be in touch about volunteer opportunities.